Chapter 309: Chapter 114: Borrowing Rubbings Chapter 309: Chapter 114: Borrowing Rubbings Lady Xiao Ma couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pain in her heart upon seeing Yueyao’s expression. In her own girlhood, she had always been just a backdrop to her sister and she did not want her daughter to be reduced to someone else’s side-role.
Lady Xiao Ma said, “Yueyao, you mentioned that you were copying from character scripts. I remember your mother has a copy of rubbings written in plum blossom calligraphy style, is that what you practiced from?”
Yueyao did not deny it. There was no need to, for Mother Lady Xiao Ma knew it was not strange since she had practiced her calligraphy from rubbings when she was younger.
Lady Xiao Ma looked straight at Yueyao and said, “Yueyao, your plum blossom calligraphy has already become exceedingly refined, you no longer need to use those rubbings. Your cousin wants to learn the plum blossom calligraphy style, you should lend those rubbings to your cousin and she can return them to you once she has learned it well.” Although she said to borrow it, her tone left no room for denial.
Loo Ying gazed at Yueyao with stars in her eyes, cautiously saying, “Cousin, could you lend it to me to copy for a few days?”
Ruo Lan was initially startled but then looked at Yueyao with a smile. She could have spoken, but she wanted to see how Yueyao would handle it.
However, Cai Yun and Cai Yi looked disdainfully at this mother and daughter; they both knew that rubbings were treasures money can’t buy, yet they were blatantly asking for such valuable items.
Although Yueyao could not comprehend Lady Xiao Ma’s way of thinking, having had previous experiences with her bringing up absurd requests didn’t surprise her anymore, “Aunt, cousin, I already said that I have just begun learning and I still need it myself, so I can’t lend it to my cousin.” If it had been Zhuang Ruolan who asked to borrow it for a couple of days, Yueyao would definitely have agreed, but she was sure she wouldn’t with Lady Xiao Ma. If lent, it would surely be a case of ‘gone and never returned.’ Yueyao remembered Nanny Deng telling her that her aunt always tried to borrow valuable dresses and jewelry from her mother, never to return them.
Lady Xiao Ma’s face immediately soured, “Yueyao, it’s just lending it to your cousin for two days; she will return it to you afterward. It’s just a collection of rubbings and not something she will keep forever.”
Yueyao was about to argue when she saw Cai Yi blink at her, signaling her to say no more. Cai Yi meant well; no matter what Yueyao said, it would be misconstrued.
Cai Yun, standing to the side, looked on with displeasure, having never seen someone borrow something with such arrogance and rudeness. It was unbearable.
Yueyao thought for a moment; arguing with her aunt in front of everyone was unseemly, so she chose to remain silent. Silence, in this context, also indicated her reluctance.
Lady Xiao Ma’s expression grew even darker.
Ruo Lan stood up with a laugh, supporting her waist, “I’ve been sitting for so long; my back is sore. Come, Yueyao, help me walk around in the courtyard.”
Yueyao went over and helped Ruo Lan to stand. Zhuang Ruolan smiled at Lady Xiao Ma, “Aunt, it’s hard for a pregnant woman to sit still.”
Lady Xiao Ma watched Yueyao help Zhuang Ruolan to the courtyard, her gaze upon Yueyao’s back tinged with resentment. On the day her elder sister was married, she had a lavish dowry of one hundred and twenty-eight carriers; lands, shops, antiques, and the finest jewelry, while her own dowry consisted of only sixty-four carriers, and it was filled with worthless trinkets without any valuable items.
This was actually Lady Xiao Ma’s prejudice. The dowry Old Grand Lady Ma had prepared for her, compared to that of other daughters born of a concubine, was quite generous. However, Lady Xiao Ma insisted on comparing herself to Madam Ma, consequently feeling increasingly aggrieved. She always felt shortchanged, severely so, believing that the Ma Family owed her, hence she saw her prolonged stay and sustenance at Ma’s Mansion as perfectly justified. Over the years, not only did she feel no embarrassment, but she also felt that what she received was far from enough. This mindset inevitably influenced Loo Ying, although it was less apparent previously with Ma Linlin’s presence restraining her. Now, with Ma Linlin gone, this trait had become prominent.
Loo Ying felt incredibly aggrieved seeing how distant everyone was, wondering why obtaining the rubbings for practicing calligraphy made people look down upon her.
Loo Ying was heartbroken, but under the circumstances, she knew better than to speak up; speaking would only result in disgrace. She just followed Lady Xiao Ma out of the main hall.
As soon as they left the courtyard, Ruo Lan whispered to Yueyao, “She’s always like that; do not take it to heart.” Ruo Lan wondered if her Second Great Aunt even had a brain, always seeking advantage where there was none to be had. The Ma Family was fairly generous; any other family might have sent her back to her husband’s family long ago.